Ethiopia issues code for EV charging stations

From the newsletter

Ethiopia has issued regulations for EV charging stations, aiming to expand the country's charging infrastructure. The country will grant EV charging service providers with 2-year renewable licenses. The electricity supply tariff to EV public charging stations from the national grid shall be the same as the general tariff category.  

• The regulations prescribe the roles of EV charging service providers and electricity suppliers, requirements for the charging stations, technical and safety standards, and locations of the chargers.  

• A charging station shall be established on both sides of the highway every 50 km. Charging stations for long-range and heavy duty EVs like buses and trucks, chargers will be placed at intervals of 120 km on each side of the highway.

More details

• Ethiopia, which has a population of more than 126 million, is a fast-growing EV market. It became the first country in the world to ban the importation of fossil fuel vehicles in January 2024.

• Ethiopia has joined the list of countries in Africa that have issued guidelines for EV charging stations, which includes Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. It has more than 30,000 EVs, including both passenger and commercial vehicles. The Ethiopian government expects this number to grow to more than 152,000 by 2032. 

• However, the country’s electrification rate of 55% is low. The Ethiopian government has made positive steps to solve this through the National Electrification Program, which aims to provide 35% of the population with off-grid solutions.

• Ethiopia has a road network of 180,000 km, including highways. This means that the country needs more than 7,200 EV charging stations to cover the existing road network. The country currently has only 50 public EV charging stations. More EV chargers will be needed as the country grows its road network to serve its rapidly growing population.

• In the new regulations, the Ethiopian government will issue separate licenses for Public Charging Stations (PCS) and Captive Charging Stations (CpCS). EV charging service providers will require a Class I license to build chargers of up to 100 kW while a Class II license will enable them to offer charging services of more than 100 kW.

• Fast charging stations are required to have at least two chargers of minimum 100 kW (250 – 750V or higher) each of different specifications (CCS and CHAdeMO) and with a single connector gun each. These chargers are ideal for long-range and heavy-duty EVs. 

Our take

• Ethiopia is positioning itself to become a major EV hub in the region. A number of factors are in its favour, including a huge and rapidly growing population. The government is rolling out incentives to make importation of EVs and their components cheaper. The abundant cheap power it generates from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will also fast-track the country’s transition to electric mobility.

• Access to electricity is key for EV adoption. While Ethiopia has made great strides to increase its access rate in recent decades, millions of its citizens still lack access to power. This is an impediment to the e-mobility transition that needs to be resolved speedily.

• Incentives are key to accelerating the purchase of EVs. The Ethiopian government is already considering non-financial and operational privileges for EV owners. These may include constructing public charging stations, provision of special license plate numbers, and further incentives to minimize the end users’ cost.